Create Shorter Content for More Content Marketing Wins

Create Shorter Content for More Content Marketing Wins

That’s the frequent answer I give to brands looking to grow their reach via content marketing. Typically, a look of shock washes across their faces as they envision the SEO value lost from not being able to stuff myriad keywords in the now-shortened copy.

Shorter content can be quicker and easier to create, is more easily digested by your audience and is far more likely to get read in its entirety. So if your brand is looking to share content that gets read, shared and possibly linked to, shorter is the way to go.

This doesn’t mean long-form content shouldn’t be in the mix, however.

The length of your web content should be determined by the needs of the audience members expected to consume the information, while being no longer than it needs to be.

In a post I recently wrote for CoSchedule (see link below), I shared why shorter content deserves more space in the quiver.

The thoughts are supported with data and anecdotal evidence and, when viewed with an open mind, jibes with what we already know: most of our content is largely ignored—in large part because we’ve not cultivated an engaged audience to readily consume it.

Don’t take my word for it; this recent tweet says it all.

Wow. It’s just sad to see how many /blogs out there for real companies are estimated to have less than 100 organic visits for ALL of their 10-40ish blog posts.

Why creating shorter content makes good business sense

Even if your blog has sufficient numbers of visitors and traffic, learning to create shorter but better content pulls you out of the mindset that “Everything you create needs to have the ability to rank.”

No, it doesn’t; no, it won’t.

Much of what your brand creates and shares online should be geared to helping prospects and customers complete a task, whether that’s learning about a product or service, thoroughly answering a question or helping them make a purchase.

Again, it’s not that your brand should create short content at the expense of creating longer posts; it’s simply that investing in shorter but better content can allow you to focus some energy elsewhere, which is hugely important in today’s fragmented media landscape.

If you’re interested in learning the why’s and how’s of creating shorter but better content, I hope you’ll read the entire blog post and share your thoughts.